A better way to get to Tahoe?

Has this happened to you lately? It’s Friday afternoon, and you’re thrilled to be heading off to Tahoe. Everyone in the car is stoked for the weekend. Then, traffic on your freeway grinds to a halt.

Everyone on the road with you wants to enjoy all that Tahoe has to offer. None of you wants to be stuck in traffic. And you know traffic is bad for the Lake, too. This raises the question: is there a better way?

We’ve been working closely for over a year with a startup transportation service that aims to fix this problem. Tahoe Convoy is about to launch a luxury shuttle to connect the San Francisco Bay Area to Lake Tahoe in a way that lets you leave your car at home and leave the driving to them.

Tahoe Convoy is a brand new deluxe charter coach service launching the first Friday in February. Their vision is to provide you a way to enjoy Tahoe without dealing with the parking hassles and worries of winter driving.League staff have been working with the folks behind Tahoe Convoy for over a year as part of our effort to improve transportation at Lake Tahoe.

The leading threat to Lake Tahoe’s famous clarity is fine sediment pollution running off our urban landscape. Auto traffic exacerbates Tahoe’s fine sediment pollution by crushing winter traction materials and deteriorating roads. Taking cars off the road can reduce the sediment that storms wash into the Lake.

To address our traffic problems, the League advocates for innovative solutions to provide convenient alternatives to driving: public transit hubs with more frequent service to popular recreation areas and encircling the Lake; an integration of technology and services to support ride-sharing and shuttle programs; and re-designed neighborhoods that are more convenient for visitors and locals to walk and ride bikes.

“We need to find people better ways to get to and around Lake Tahoe without them having to be stuck in their cars,” says Jesse Patterson, the League’s deputy director. “We think a service like Tahoe Convoy can be part of the solution, so we encourage visitors to give it a try and tell us about their experience.”

Last summer, League staff led efforts to bring a bike-share pilot program to South Tahoe. The introduction of LimeBike successfully demonstrated that thousands of people can get around Tahoe communities without a car. The League will continue to lead efforts to secure new pilot projects at Tahoe to help people get around in ways that reduce traffic, but we need to also find solutions for visitors who want to leave their cars at home - which is where a service like Tahoe Convoy could help.

We think the Tahoe Convoy effort is a great idea, which is why we pitched in to provide our Tahoe knowledge and environmental expertise. But the true test requires people to ride it, which is where you come in. Get your ticket, or pass this along to someone you know who’d like to leave their car at home. Then come enjoy Tahoe and tell us about your experience.